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The differences between school photographers and freelance photographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a school photographer and a freelance photographer. Additionally, a school photographer has an average salary of $98,357, which is higher than the $42,949 average annual salary of a freelance photographer.
The top three skills for a school photographer include customer service, kids and camera equipment. The most important skills for a freelance photographer are adobe photoshop, aperture, and adobe lightroom.
| School Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,357 | $42,949 |
| Hourly rate | $47.29 | $20.65 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 25,482 | 1,766 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A school photographer is typically a freelancer who works from one institution to another. Their responsibilities typically revolve around organizing and facilitating photoshoots for yearbooks, school IDs, and other events. Moreover, a school photographer is also responsible for coordinating with school authorities to identify and meet their preferences when it comes to the setting and backgrounds, arranging sets, and managing schedules and budgets. A school photographer may also liaise with parents, students, and faculty members to provide them with copies of the photos.
A freelance photographer produces photos while under a specific short-term contract. They are primarily responsible for coordinating with the client to learn any requests or preferences, bringing necessary devices and lighting equipment, securing the best location and setting, handling any obstruction during the photoshoot, and delivering high-quality results in a short amount of time. Moreover, a photographer must maintain a healthy working environment with clients or models by building rapport, which will also help establish a client base.
School photographers and freelance photographers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Average salary | $98,357 | $42,949 |
| Salary range | Between $17,000 And $561,000 | Between $29,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a school photographer and a freelance photographer in terms of educational background:
| School Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Photography | Photography |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between school photographers' and freelance photographers' demographics:
| School Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |